Last week, Lou and Joe decided to bring Spike for a visit to the Adoption Center and wondered if the staff would still recognize him. They didn’t wonder long, as staff soon spilled into the Adoption Center lobby, crowding around Spike, greeting him with enthusiasm and even tears.

“This is the best Christmas gift ever!” exclaimed Adoption Center Manager Ruth Allen, who rushed from her fourth floor office after hearing that Spike was in the building.

Animal Care Technician Trevor Simms, one of Spike’s primary caretakers during his 27-month stay at the ASPCA, had planned to take the day off, but didn’t. “I would have lost it,” he said. “Of all the days!”

Robin Persad, a Behavior Enrichment Coordinator, pulled out his phone and took pictures. Despite his big smile, Robin admitted having a lump in his throat. “He was our baby,” he said. “We worked with him for so long.”

Spike seemed to remember where he was and hadn’t forgotten his old friends. He burrowed his snout into Trevor’s pockets in search of treats, sat on command and made himself at home on the bench in the Adoption Center lobby.

The 75-lb. Spike has come a long way since the days when he was emaciated and locked in a basement before being rescued and rehabilitated by the ASPCA.

“He looks like a little man now, distinguished and handsome; before he was just a boy,” said Animal Care Technician Laurie Daniels, who helped coordinate the Liebermans’ visit but kept it under wraps until the last minute.

For Lou and Joe, Spike is now a “staple” at their auto shop, Procom Racing, in Toms River, New Jersey.

“He hangs out on the couch in our office and loves riding in our truck,” says Lou. This past summer, Spike accompanied the brothers to racing events in the Tri-state area, hanging out in their trailer. Joe notes that Spike’s favorite food is “anything we have for lunch,” and that Spike can open doors, even turning knobs and handles. “It’s been a great year,” Joe said.

”Great” doesn’t begin to describe it for Trevor, whose face was soaked in Spike’s kisses: “It doesn’t get better than this.”

If you use the BlackBerry Messenger app on iOS, Android or Blackberry devices, you can now support the ASPCA while you communicate with family and friends. For every ASPCA-themed sticker you send, 3-4% of the purchase price goes back to the ASPCA and our fight against animal cruelty.

For the iPhone and Android users out there, you can let your support for the ASPCA take over with ASPCA-themed wallpapers and icons, available on CocoPPa and HipScreens. 3-4% of the purchase price goes back to the ASPCA.

And for the ASPCA supporters who are gamers, you can now customize your Xbox Avatar’s style with ASPCA-themed digital accessories, props and merchandise. 3-4% of the purchase prices goes back to the ASPCA.

Our feathered friends made headlines all year long, from exposés of industry conditions to companies feeling consumer pressure to improve their practices. We’re proud of the part we’ve played in this movement and grateful to you for raising your voice on behalf of the billions of chickens raised each year in this country. Stay tuned in 2015 as we roll out exciting new ways to be involved in the Truth About Chicken. Together we can make a big difference in these animals’ lives!

Our dish of choice...chicken in chlorine sauce? (August)Europeans are so opposed to the common U.S. practice of bathing chicken carcasses in chlorine to kill bacteria that it became a sticking point in August negotiations over a free trade deal between the U.S. and Europe.

Nestlé gets nicer to farm animals (August)Nestlé announced an industry-leading animal welfare program that will eliminate many inhumane but standard practices within its food supply chain, including raising fast-growing chickens for meat.

A study on giant chickens freaked people out (October)A photograph in Poultry Science comparing modern chickens to those of the 1950s went viral. The underlying study detailed health problems facing today’s genetically manipulated birds, which include bone, heart, and immune system issues.

Consumer demand drives big chicken companies to drop the drugs (October)Tyson Foods and Perdue announced that they will no longer use antibiotics in their chicken hatcheries. It is industry practice to inject drugs into eggs and add it to feed to prevent diseases caused by the filthy conditions on factory farms.

Dirty birds in the UK (November)Scandal hit the British poultry industry when 8 out of 10 pieces of UK chicken sampled were found to be contaminated with Campylobacter, a strain of bacteria that causes food poisoning.

Horrendous conditions at a Koch Foods supplier exposed (November)Mercy for Animals (MFA) released footage from a Koch Foods supplier farm showing filthy, crowded sheds, violent abuse of birds during catching and slaughter, and birds boiled alive rather than stunned properly. MFA alleges that the farm supplies Chick-fil-A, but the chicken restaurant denies having done business with Koch since spring 2013.

One Perdue farmer speaks out (December)A Perdue contract farmer, Craig Watts, opened his doors to Compassion in World Farming to expose the inhumane conditions Perdue requires of farmers, as well as the welfare consequences of intense, selective breeding for growth.

The hug felt ‘round the world (April)In the face of a lot of depressing news, almost 2 million people watched a chicken hug it out with a sweet little boy.

As 2014 winds down, we want to take a moment to thank you for all that you’ve done for animals this year. Because of your unwavering support, we were able to save more lives and care for more animals than ever before.

This video is a thank you for all you helped us accomplish this year. We hope you enjoy it.